


of old teammates and new friends

by annaki



Series: i'll stay by your side [1]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Gen, Nonbinary Character, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27535111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annaki/pseuds/annaki
Summary: Asher is glad to finally rid themselves of their old teammates, but that means that they need to find two new inklings to help them form a team to help them reach their goal of becoming the best of the best.
Series: i'll stay by your side [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2058564
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	of old teammates and new friends

**Author's Note:**

> me while writing this: i don't need to add so many trans explanations/experiences  
> also me: but what if i do anyways? :]

“ _Well if you two think you_ _’re such hot stuff, maybe you’d be so much better off on your own! By all means feel free to leave!_ ”

Asher scoffed in frustration as they turned on their heel, eager to get as far away from their two angry teammates as possible. Or rather ex-teammates now.

They stormed away from Inkopolis tower, catching the telltale footsteps of Phoenix jogging to catch up to them. Huffing, they turned to enter an abandoned alley; a place that would normally deter any sane inkling from entering under normal circumstances. But they just needed someplace quiet to collect their thoughts and the usual chaos in the plaza would make that near impossible.

Pressing their back against he brick wall, they slid down onto the cracked pavement, Phoenix joining them soon after.

“Soooo… this might be a bit of a stupid question, but are you okay?”

“…S’not stupid. And honestly? Yeah…” Asher sighed, throwing their head back, making a small ‘thunk’ as they hit the wall. “I’m just more annoyed at the fact that those two jerks broke us off before we could them. And just when we finally decided to do just that after the next tournament.”

Phoenix laughed, placing a comforting hand on their knee. Asher gave her a small smile.

Truth be told, they were beyond relieved that they didn’t need to see the two ever again. Especially with the way that they had treated Nix and them.

Always trying to make moves on her and challenging their every move.

Asher was no leader, nor was Phoenix for that matter, so they would have been more than content to just follow someone else’s directions. But when even _they_ could tell that some of their decisions were just asking from loss after loss, well… Asher wouldn’t just take that sitting down.

A fact that the two seemed to resent them for.

Heck, if they hadn’t wasted so much time dealing with them, Phoenix and Asher would’ve been able to find another team or at least spend their time leveling up to A rank. Sure, it was their dream to be part of some big league team someday but Asher would rather spend their time doing normal ranked than league with two teammates that only held them back.

“Looks like we’ll need to find some other guys who’ll be willing to join us,” Phoenix said, practically reading their thoughts.

Asher bumped their elbow against her arm. “Those old geezers that make up the league board should let us fight as a team. Just us two! I tell you, we could take out whole teams easy peasy!”

“You say that but if we actually did that your no splat streak might be broken.” Phoenix brushed her bangs away from her face. Proceeding to let out a small whine as they inevitably fell over her eyes again.

Asher laughed at her expression. “One: you wish! Two: you might wanna get those tentacles cut soon.”

“I’d much rather not if I can help it. It took so long to get them to this length that I… I’m somewhat scare that they might not grow back.”

Asher hummed, understanding her fear. Having spent most of their life together, they had seen all the care Nix put into her tentacles. Even if she had only started to do so a couple of years prior, they had been there to help her with what they could.

They still remembered the night she had come out to them, both curled up under the covers of their bed as they watched some random action movie they had borrowed from their parents’ collection. How they had wrapped an arm around her as she explained how she wanted to tell them first since they were closer to one another than to anyone else.

Asher had smiled widely at her before dragging her out of the house and to the nearest lure store they could find. It had been late already, but they had spent hours there looking for a new one for Phoenix that she could wear to display her pronouns, poking fun and cracking jokes all the while.

Nix was their sister in all but blood, so they were ecstatic to find out that they shared something else in common. They were happy to help her through her transition just as she had theirs.

Phoenix grasped the edge of her tentacles tightly between two fingers. “Cod, I can’t wait to get rid of the bright pink though!”

Asher laughed. “Tell you what. You get to choose whatever our next ink color is. Also… I’m sure they’d grow back soon enough but I won’t push either. They look really pretty as is anyways!” they reassured her.

She beamed at them, making their smile grown wider. Then it turned into a smirk and they gave her a wary look.

“Even if I choose that lovely blue of yours?”

“Absolutely not.” Asher’s expression is deadpan. “I’d sooner give up Xochi than do that.”

Untrue. Well not the giving up Xochi part, they would never do that. But if Nix were so inclined to change to blue, they would go along with it in a heartbeat.

With some complaints sure, but they would do it.

Phoenix gave them a sad look. “Ash, we kinda just gave Xochi up. You know he belongs to…” She trailed off, catching Asher’s mischievous smile. “Ash… noooooo…”

“Ash yes!”

They nudged their chest area slightly and Nix’s eyes narrowed at the now visible wriggling mass underneath their shirt.

“Is that…?”

Asher easily answered the unfinished question. “Sure is!” A small pink head pops out from their collar at that exact moment. Xochi lets out a small trill of happiness as he sees Phoenix.

She sighed loudly. “Well, if he knows what’s best for him, he won’t come back for Xochi.” A finger reached out to scratch him gently on the head.

“He won’t,” Asher scooped him out of their shirt and gently plopped them on Nix’s lap. “He didn’t even care when I started taking Xochi home with me sometimes. I think he might even be happy that he doesn’t have to ‘deal with him’ as he so aptly put it once.”

Their nose wrinkled as they remembered the way their old teammate ignored him.

Xochi would be so much happier with them two instead!

“Well, then it should be fine I guess,” Phoenix cooed at the small axolotl as he circled around before settling down to take a quick nap. Her expression shifted to a more serious one. “Anyways, what do we do about the team requirement now? I don’t think either of us would be too comfortable with anyone from the academy.”

Asher grimaced. “Yeah, no thanks!”

Nothing against the other kids from the academy, but a good majority of them were all a bit too stuck up for their taste. At least most of the ones that had only gotten in thanks to their parents money tended to act that way.

Their parents had made sure to enroll them into public schools specifically because they hadn’t wanted Asher to turn out the same. And the only reason they were even going there now was because Phoenix had gotten a fully paid scholarship.

The two had talked things out and decided that it was best to have a backup plan in case they didn’t make it far with their dreams of reaching S+. And Asher actually quite enjoyed making art when it didn’t come attached to a grade.

“I don’t think the whole ‘doing random matches until we click with someone route’ would be much better.” They scratched at the back of their head as they thought. “Maybe if we put out an ad?”

“What? Something like: ‘Two B- Rankers Looking For Teammates to Make It to S+’?”

Asher snapped their fingers in her direction. “Exactly!”

“I’m pretty sure everyone would consider us a joke at that point,” Phoenix said dryly.

“And when has that ever stopped us?” they asked, pulling her close.

Never. The two of them had gone against the world’s expectations of them, time and time again. Always together.

That wouldn’t change any time soon.

Nix smiled at them. “Still, I think we should take a short break until we figure out a proper way to go about this. Exams are coming up anyways so we should probably focus more on those for now.”

Asher nodded, not too concerned with their own exams. Most of their time was usually spent helping Nix prepare for her own.

Yet they still wanted to argue against taking a break, even if they wouldn’t get very far with Nix on the other end of the argument.

Phoenix always had the advantage when it came to words. They on the other hand, were all action.

If they wanted to convince her to keep trying for a team, they had to take matters into their own hands.

So what if they had just said that turfing with strangers hadn’t worked until that point? It wouldn’t hurt to give it another try.

Looking back towards the plaza, they noticed a pair of inklings whispering hurriedly to one another. Asher raised an eyebrow as they watched them. They couldn’t get a proper look at their faces— not with those bulky helmets on their heads that shadowed over their eyes— but they could make out the general gist of their discussion.

If their pointing towards the tower and other teams were any indication.

Grinning they stood up, pulling Phoenix up along with them.

“Ash, wha—”

Asher winked at her as they took Xochi back and placed him around their neck. They could feel the axolotl move around as he made himself comfortable.

“Trust me.”

Phoenix nodded and that was all they needed.

They yelled out a loud ‘hello’ and waved as they approached the two strangers, startling them both along with Phoenix, who groaned as she regretted letting them do whatever this was.

The one wearing the tentacle helmet stood protectively in front of their partner.

Seemed like they were close too. Asher felt excitement course through their body, already having a good feeling about the two.

“It seems like you're both in the mood for a turf match. If you don't have your other two, we could help!” They gestured towards Phoenix as they pulled her forward.

She gave them an awkward wave as she stomped on Asher’s shoes as stealthily as she could manage. “Hello there.”

The smaller inkling— the one hiding behind the other— shyly waved back at them.

Asher smiled at them and unclasped the lures attached to their belt. They held them up and waved the colorful minnow and spoon around— representing their pronouns and gender respectively. “Name’s Asher, by the way!”

“Phoenix,” their friend said, holding up her own lures. A trout and spinner.

“Lex!” the more excited inkling introduced herself, proudly showing off her own. And Asher whistled low at how new they looked. She gestured towards her friend— who was slowly moving beside her. “And Onyx!”

He nodded at Asher and Phoenix, turning just enough so they can see the herring and spinner.

_Holy_ _—if this works out we could be a fully trans team. Score!_

Asher waved off Nix’s questioning look. They could geek out about it later.

“Turf with us? Lex asked them.

Her accent was thick and from the way she kept her sentences short and to the point Asher figured they weren’t from around here. Honestly, mad props to them for learning a language that wasn’t their own.

“Heck yeah we’ll turf with you! That’s why I asked you two in the first place!” Asher turned to Phoenix as she was reattaching her lures. “Right, Nix? I mean, it’s practically fate! He’s a ‘Nyx’ too!”

They excitedly pointed at the inkling boy, who pressed a hand to his helmet as he bowed his head down slightly in acknowledgment.

Phoenix took a moment to think about it, all too used to their impulsive decisions. She sighed.

“Yeah, why not?”

Asher whooped and crushed her in a hug. They grinned into her shirt as she laughed before letting her go and turning to the other two.

“Don’t worry! We’ll teach you all we know about strategy! Now c’mon!”

Asher hovered a hand over Lex’s wrist, and when she didn’t flinch or move away, grabbed onto it as they led her to the tower— with her holding onto Onyx as well.

They were amused by the small huff that their friend let out as she followed close behind them. The three of them would show her.

And even if it didn't work out with these two, they would find the right team eventually.

* * *

As it turned out, Lex and Onyx didn’t need as much help as they had thought they would.

Both Asher and Phoenix’s jaws dropped as they looked up at the scoreboard above them.

Asher knew that Phoenix and themself were plenty experienced when it came to the turf scene, always getting splats reaching the double digits. And they even had a solid ‘no splat streak’— the still snoozing Xochi being clear proof of that.

But rarely did their teammates ever do as well as they did, always focused more on the objective while they acted as their cover. And yet in their short game of normal turf their new friends had gotten almost as many splats as they had.

The poor enemy team hadn’t stood a chance!

Asher turned to the two of them in awe. “You guys killed it out there!” they exclaimed.

“We didn’t kill anyone…” Onyx said in a quiet voice.

“Don't mind crazy here, that's just and expression,” Phoenix explained, placing a hand on Asher's shoulder to calm them down. “It just means that you two did really well back there!”

He considerably brightened at the praise. Lex latched onto his arm as she squealed in happiness.

“Team now?”

That's right! This had to convince Nix that they would make a decent team. Asher was sure of it!

“Yeah, for sure! Right, Nix?” They looked at her expectantly. The other two remaining silent as they waited for her answer with a baited breath.

Phoenix regarded them all for a moment before nodding slowly. “Yeah. I think… I really do look forward to working with you both from here on out.”

Asher and Lex cheered loudly, holding hands tightly as they hopped around the plaza, ignoring the looks and whispers as strangers around them watched them in confusion. They didn’t care though, too caught up in the excitement of finally being part of a decent team.

“Oh cod… what did I just agree to?” Phoenix groaned.

Asher laughed at her, letting go of Lex's hands as they brought her into a hug. “A new beginning! We'll be the best team there is! Just you wait and see!”

Phoenix sagged slightly in their arms— a show of exaggeration more than anything— and Asher couldn’t help the bark of laughter that came out as Onyx gave her a small pat on the shoulder with a solemn expression.

He moved to adjust his helmet again but someone bumped into him at that moment and sent the helmet flying onto the pavement. Onyx paled as he stared at it in shock, hands trembling as he raised them to his head.

His gray tentacles looked different than any Asher had ever seen before. And they could have sworn that the ends of them curled as he panicked.

In a quick movement, Lex bent down and grabbed the headgear before flailing to put it back down on his head. It stood there crookedly as he teared up, grasping handfuls of his shirt as he pointedly looked away from them.

Asher shared a look with Phoenix, who nodded and walked up next to Lex and gently pulled her away. Lex gave them both wary looks but allowed it, keeping her gaze locked onto Onyx.

Grabbing onto the sides of his helmet, Asher noticed how he stiffened at the contact. Perhaps his helmet was off limits to touch, so they worked fast.

Rotating it just enough so that it sat properly on his head, they patted down the top as a small gesture to ensure that it stayed in place.

“Yo, that’s a really fresh style you’ve got! I don’t blame you if you didn’t want anyone to see. Anyone would be jealous of that cut!” Asher lowered their voice, gentle as they spoke, “And hey, it’s cool if you don’t wanna let us see it just yet— or even ever if that’s your choice— but I hope one day you’ll trust us enough to know that we won’t judge you. No matter what.”

They gestured to from their chest over to Phoenix. “Because her and I? We’re your friends now. And who knows?” Asher grinned. “Maybe one day you and Lex might even consider us family! I know I wouldn’t be opposed to that and neither would Nix! Heck, Xochi wouldn’t either!”

Anticipating Onyx’s confusion, they reached behind their back and presented the axolotl to him— who had predictably stayed hidden to keep from getting kicked out inside the tower— gently cradled between their hands.

His expression brightened and he reached out to pet him, waiting for Asher’s nod, and laughing as Xochi licked his finger.

Smiling, Asher handed him over to Onyx, who took great care with holding him.

Lex laughed in relief and came up to give him a side hug; also giving the axolotl some much appreciated affection.

Asher gave Phoenix a warm smile as she moved to their side. She looked at Onyx and relaxed as he gushed over Xochi with Lex.

Always acting like the team mom that one.

She spoke up, catching their attention. “How about going in for a few more matches before lunch? My treat,” she offered.

Well, if it was her treat then…

“Let’s hurry before she changes her mind!” Asher ran back towards the lobby, ignoring the yells from the workers at the receptionist desk.

They heard Lex’s laughter close behind along with Onyx’s startled yelp as he was dragged along.

Asher smiled wider.

They weren't lying when they said that Onyx's style looked fresh. But if neither him nor Lex wanted to show it off just yet, they would wait until they were comfortable enough to act as freely as they wanted with Nix and them.

And what better way to start on establishing their new friendship than with a few more rounds of turf before they officially started on their goal to rise in the ranked modes?

They glanced back to meet Phoenix’s eyes, which sparkled with joy as she hurried to catch up to them— at a much slower pace to appease the angry adults.

Nix and them were a pair on their own. But this new team… Asher just knew that they would make it work for the long run this time.

It certainly didn’t hurt that these guys would be actual friends this time around.

_Just you wait. All of us_ _… we’ll make it to the top!_

**Author's Note:**

> Soooooo yeah! This is just the first of a small collection of the characters in high tide—both shown so far or that will be in the future. So I hope you all enjoy!


End file.
